Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias (born December 18, 1975), better known as Trish Stratus, is a Canadian actress and television personality currently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment. She is also a former fitness model and semi-retired professional wrestler. After beginning her career as a fitness model, Stratus began working for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which was later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Early in her career, she was involved in sexually themed storylines, such as managing the team T & A and an affair with Vince McMahon. As Stratus spent more time in the ring, her wrestling skills and popularity strengthened. Because of this, she was a one-time WWE Hardcore Champion, three-time "WWE Babe of the Year" and was proclaimed "Diva of the Decade". After nearly seven years in the business, Stratus retired from professional wrestling at WWE Unforgiven on September 17, 2006 after winning her seventh WWE Women's Championship, the most in WWE history. Career History World Wrestling Entertainment Heel Manager (2000–2001) Stratigias made her debut as a villainess on the March 19, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat, under the ring name Trish Stratus. She appeared on stage to scout WWF Superstars, in particular Test and Prince Albert. The next night on Raw. Stratus began her first role in the company, serving as the evil manager to Test and Albert, also known as T & A. It was during her stint managing T & A that Stratus took her first major bump in the ring, being driven through a table by the Dudley Boyz at Backlash after she had been taunting Bubba Ray Dudley for several weeks. She also began managing Val Venis to win the Intercontinental Championship but their partnership ended at SummerSlam after Venis lost the title. Stratus made her in-ring debut on the June 20 taping of SmackDown!, winning a tag team match with T & A against the Hardy Boyz and Lita. A storyline feud between Stratus and Lita developed after the match with Stratus attacking Lita on episodes of Raw and SmackDown!, leading to an Indian Strap match on the July 24 edition of Raw which Stratus won with help from Stephanie McMahon. She finished the year competing unsuccessfully for the WWF Women's Championship numerous times, and leaving Test and Albert when the team disbanded. In early 2001, the villainous Stratus became involved in an angle with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, during a time when Vince's wife Linda was kayfabe institutionalized following a demand Vince had made for a divorce during an episode of SmackDown! on December 7, 2000. Vince and Stratus' relationship increasingly angered the boss' daughter, Stephanie McMahon. At No Way Out on February 25, Stratus and Stephanie squared off, with Stephanie scoring the victory after a run-in by William Regal. In the midst of a tag team match that pitted Vince and Stratus against Regal and Stephanie the next night on Raw, Stratus was the victim of a set-up by Vince, Stephanie and Regal. Regal executed his finisher, the Regal Cutter, on Stratus and Stephanie then dumped sewage over Stratus' body. Vince stood over Stratus, and he told her she was a toy with which he had grown tired of playing and the it was over. The angle continued the next week on Raw with Vince forcing Stratus to strip down to her lingerie in the ring and bark like a dog. The storyline came to an end at WrestleMania X-Seven when Stratus slapped Vince during his match against his son Shane, becoming a fan favorite in the process. Women's Champion (2001–2003) Stratus then began wrestling full-time. She won a Bra and Panties tag team match with Lita against Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson at InVasion. After suffering an ankle injury in the summer, however, she was sidelined for three months. As she rehabilitated, she kept herself visible by co-hosting Excess on TNN. After returning in autumn, Stratus appeared at Survivor Series, where she won the WWF Women's Championship for the first time in a six-pack challenge. Stratus was next involved in a feud with the villainous Jazz over the Women's Championship, where she was booked to retain the title at the Royal Rumble but being booked to lose the belt to Jazz two weeks later on the February 4, 2002 edition of Raw. Stratus then went after the title for several months, even competing in a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania X8 against Lita and Jazz in her hometown of Toronto, Canada but failed to win the match. While chasing after the Women's TItle, Stratus won the WWE Hardcore Championship on May 6, pinning Crash Holly after Bubba Ray Dudley hit him over the head with a trash can. She, however, lost the title to Steven Richards soon afterward due to the stipulation that the belt was defended 24/7 as long as there was a referee present. One week later, she regained the Women's Title in a tag team match with Bubba Ray Dudley. During this time, Stratus began wrestling solely on the Raw brand after being drafted in the WWF Brand Extension. Stratus' second reign as champion came to an end on June 23 when she was defeated at King of the Ring by Molly Holly. The two Divas continued their storyline feud for the next three months. After a failed attempt to win the title in July, Stratus won back the championship at Unforgiven. While feuding with Holly, Stratus was also involved in an angle with new Diva In their angle, the evil Victoria held a grudge against Stratus, claiming she was betrayed by Stratus when they worked as fitness models. The two competed in several title matches, with Stratus retaining until Survivor Series where Victoria won the belt in a Hardcore Match. On March 17, 2003, Victoria and Steven Richards defeated Jazz and Stratus in tag team competition. After the match, Jeff Hardy saved Stratus from an attack by both Victoria and Richards. In the following weeks, Stratus and Hardy were shown talking backstage and fighting as tag team partners. The storyline, however, was dropped when Hardy was released from WWE. At WrestleMania XIX, Stratus defeated Victoria and Jazz to capture her fourth Women's Championship, equaling the record previously set by The Fabulous Moolah, only to lose the title to Jazz at the following pay-per-view, Backlash. In the following months, Stratus was placed into an alliance with Gail Kim. However, on the August 4 edition of Raw, the evil Kim turned against Stratus and teamed with Molly Holly, putting the women in a storyline feud. The duo defeated Stratus and several tag team partners until Stratus began to partner with a returning Lita. The team defeated Kim and Holly in several matches, including a match at Unforgiven. Teaming and feuding with Lita (2003–2005) Stratus began a romance with Chris Jericho during the November 10 edition of Raw when she agreed to go on a date with him. Subsequently, they participated in an intergender tag team match as partners on December 1. After the match, Stratus overheard Jericho talking to Christian, who was involved in an on-screen romance with Lita at the time, about who could sleep with their respective woman first. One week later, Stratus and Lita confronted the men about their actions, leading to a feud between the two men and women which resulted in a "Battle of the Sexes" match at Armageddon, which the women lost. A rematch the next night ended in a no contest. Her relationship with Jericho continued into the next year with a new angle of Jericho developing feelings for Stratus. Christian would also briefly turn face once again, only to attack and defeat her in a match ordered by Eric Bischoff. This would start a feud between Christian and Jericho, who was defending Stratus. During their match at WMXX, however, Stratus became an evil villainess by betraying Jericho and siding with Christian. Stratus smiled evilly to display her new heel persona, before leaving the ring with Christian and kissing him. The duo feuded with Jericho for several months and competed in a handicap match at Backlash. The team of Stratus and Christian were joined by "problem solver" Tyson Tomko the next night on Raw. At Bad Blood on June 13, Stratus captured the WWE Women's Championship for a fifth time by defeating Victoria, Gail Kim, and Lita in a Fatal Four Way Match. She defended the title until she suffered a legitimate broken hand in July that caused her to be out of action for approximately a month. Upon her return, she continued to defend the title against numerous challengers before losing the championship to Lita on December 6 when both women wrestled in the main event of Raw for the championship, in which Lita delivered a finishing low blow to Stratus' groin. Stratus recaptured the Women's Championship a month later at New Year's Revolution after Lita suffered a legitimate injury during a rematch. A new angle later developed between Stratus and Raw Diva Search winner Christy Hemme; with Stratus expressing jealousy of Hemme's Playboy magazine cover. During the cover unveiling, the evil Stratus attacked Hemme and spray painted the word "slut" across her back. After the attack, Stratus laughed evilly while standing over a fallen Hemme. Stratus was challenged by Hemme, who later revealed she was being trained by Lita, for a title match at WrestleMania 21 and was successful in retaining the title. Stratus's biggest fan and retirement (2005–2006) In May 2005, Stratus was sidelined with the Women's Championship after suffering a groin injury, with the explanation that Viscera had injured her at Backlash after she berated him for losing to Lita's (at the time/now ex-husband) husband Kane. She returned to Raw in September, once again portraying her face persona by siding with Ashley Massaro against Vince's Devils. The feud also involved the debuting Diva Mickie James who introduced herself as Stratus' biggest fan. On the Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show, Stratus took part in an interpromotional Diva battle royal that was won by SmackDown! Diva Melina. The next week, MNM kidnapped Stratus, tightly tying up her body and gagging her mouth so that she couldn't speak while Melina challenged the captive Stratus to a match for the Women's Championship, before using her powerful legs to kick Trish in the head while Mercury and Nitro held her. This would leave Trish laid out prone on the floor, still tightly tied up after being dominated by the trio. The two fought at Survivor Series, with Stratus defeating Melina after interference from Mickie James. Stratus and James continued teaming together in late 2005 while James' character became increasingly obsessed with Stratus. On the December 26 episode of Raw, the storyline between Stratus and James developed into a lesbian when James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe, causing a surprised Stratus to flee the locker room. The odd relationship between Stratus and James continued into 2006, with the two Divas competing against each other in a title match at New Year's Revolution, where Stratus emerged victorious. Despite the defeat, James continued to be enamored of Stratus which made her feel uncomfortable. On March 6, 2006, Stratus confronted James, telling her that she needed space. The duo briefly reconciled on the March 18 Saturday Night's Main Event, teaming together to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. James, however, turned heel on Stratus after the match and began to attack her. A match at WrestleMania 22 saw Stratus lose the Women's Championship to James. During a rematch at Backlash, Stratus suffered a legitimate dislocated shoulder after taking a bump to the outside of the ring. While she was rehabilitating for six weeks, she continued to appear on-screen. During her hiatus, Stratus hosted Canada's Walk of Fame on June 3, 2006, which honored Pam Anderson. Pam later became a villainess and flirted with Stratus, leading to a kiss between the two. Stratus returned to the ring on June 26 and started a romantic angle with Carlito after he saved her from a double team attack by Melina and Johnny Nitro. They competed as a team and won a mixed tag team match against Melina and Nitro at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 15. As a couple, Stratus and Carlito briefly feuded with WWE Champion Edge and Lita after the pair interrupted Stratus' title match with Mickie James. The two couples competed in several tag team matches, with Stratus and Carlito jobbing to Edge and Lita each time. In late August, the evil Lita stated that Stratus would retire following Unforgiven, which was later confirmed by Stratus. At the pay-per-view on September 17, in her hometown of Toronto, Stratus defeated Lita with fellow Canadian Bret Hart's signature submission maneuver, the Sharpshooter, to win a record seventh Women's Championship and retire as champion. Part time appearances (2007–2009) Stratus made a special appearance on December 10, 2007 during Raw's 15th Anniversary special along with Lita, interrupting Jillian Hall as she sang by attacking her and then celebrating with Lita. Stratus made another special appearance on the May 5, 2008 episode of Raw, as the event took place from her hometown, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She took part in a backstage segment involving Ron Simmons and Trevor Murdoch. Stratus wrestled her first match in over two years on the December 22, 2008 episode of Raw. She and John Cena defeated Santino Marella and his former on-screen protégé Beth Phoenix in a mixed tag team match. Stratus also served as the guest hostess of the September 14, 2009 edition Raw in her home town of Toronto. After a confrontation backstage with Phoenix and former character beau Chris Jericho, she participated in what would be a six-person tag team match with MVP and Mark Henry to defeat Phoenix, Jericho, and The Big Show. Return to WWE (2011–present) Trish made a surprise appearance at the 2011 Elimination Chamber pay per view to announce that she will be a trainer on the new WWE Tough Enough. At the same event she stopped LayCool's attack on the recently re-hired Kelly Kelly. Trish wrestled her first match since 2009 on the March 14, 2011 edition of Raw against Vickie Guerrero in a losing effort, due to interference from LayCool and Dolph Ziggler. After the match, John Morrison and Raw guest star of the night Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (from the MTV series Jersey Shore) came to the aid of Trish. Vickie then challenged Trish, Morrison and Snooki to a match at WrestleMania XXVII against the team of LayCool and Ziggler, to which Snooki agreed on behalf of Trish and Morrison. On the March 21 episode of Raw, Trish teamed with John Morrison to take on LayCool, Vickie Guerrero & Dolph ziggler in a losing effort. At WrestleMania XXVII Trish, Snooki & Morrison defeated laycool & Ziggler. The night after Wrestlemania, Stratus & Morrison teamed up again to once again defeat Ziggler & Vickie. She appeared on the June 6 episode of Raw in a backstage segment with fellow Tough Enough trainer Booker T before being interrupted by Jack Swagger . She appeared on the September 16 episode of SmackDown in a backstage segment with Edge and Christian. On July 23, 2012 she appeared on Raw's 1000 episode in a backstage segment with DX. On the January 28, 2013 episode of Raw, Stratus was announced as a WWE Hall of Fame inductee as part of the 2013 class, making her the youngest Hall of Fame inductee ever. Stephanie McMahon was chosen by Stratus to induct her into the Hall of Fame. At the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Stratus revealed she was pregnant and was delivering some "stratusfaction" in 9 months. Stratus later inducted her longtime friend and rival Lita into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Heel Turn (2016-present) Stratus starred in the Canadian independent movie, Bail Enforcers, which marked her acting debut. She played the main protagonist, a bounty hunter named Jules Taylor, with the film being released on April 19, 2011, premiering at ActionFest 2011. Stratus turned heel for the first time since 2005 when she appeared in the movie, Gridlocked. In the film, Stratus played Gina, a SWAT team officer who is actually a villainess in league with a group of mercenaries. The film was released to larger audiences on June 14, 2016.